"I can no longer sense Gajeel. His magic signature has disappeared," Sheila said, her tone deadpan and grave.
A sharp chill settled over Juvia and Albion.
"What do you mean it's disappeared?" Juvia asked, her voice tight. "Magic is life energy. It flows through everything. It doesn't just vanish."
"Normally, no," Sheila admitted calmly.
"Does that mean he's—"
"Calm down, Juvia." Albion stepped beside her, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. His face was neutral, but his eyes were sharp.
"I'm still learning to sense magic, but I know this much: energy doesn't just cease to exist. A mage can run out of it." He turned his quiet, deliberate gaze toward Sheila. "That's what's happening, isn't it?"
Sheila paused, taking in the boy's composure before nodding slowly. "You're observant, Albion. Yes, a wizard can deplete their magic container completely. And I doubt Damian killed him. He was only punishing Gajeel for breaking the news and disrespecting the Master."
"So he's just empty," Albion said, turning back to Juvia. "You fought him earlier. Isn't it possible he was already low on magic power before this Damian person even started?"
Juvia fell silent. Looking back, Gajeel had barely stepped into the guildhall before fighting Damian. He hadn't been given a single moment to rest or recover. Sure, he could consume metal to restore his stamina, but Damian wouldn't have just stood by and allowed it. The only reason Gajeel had managed to eat metal against Juvia was because she had been too shocked to stop him.
Slowly, Juvia nodded. "That makes sense."
"Then it's settled." Albion kept his hand on her shoulder for a second longer, offering a calm, reassuring look.
Juvia found herself wondering, not for the first time, if this boy was truly younger than her.
"I'm surprised you're keeping your cool," Sheila observed from a few paces away. "I expected you to react more like Juvia."
Albion withdrew his hand and looked over at Sheila, a slight, casual smile touching his lips. "I grew up in dire situations. Most of them involved death. Combine that with my time in this guild, and... well. You get used to it."
Juvia and Sheila exchanged a brief glance. Neither fully understood what he meant, but it offered another quiet reminder of how little they actually knew about him—only that he had a strange caretaker and no real family.
"More importantly," Albion continued, his smile fading into something more pragmatic, "can we actually save him? Do we even have the strength to intervene?" He paused thoughtfully. "Damian is an S-Class wizard. That makes him one of the strongest people in Phantom Lord, which is already one of the most powerful guilds around. He's the top of the chain."
He gestured lightly between the three of them.
"I'm at my limit. I've overused my magic today, and my combat skills are average compared to the rest of the guild. Besides, Gajeel's life isn't actually in danger. So why step in? Would Gajeel even want our help?"
Silence fell over the path.
"It doesn't matter if he wants it," Juvia said quietly, breaking the quiet. She offered them a genuine, gentle smile. "If someone is in trouble, you help them. You don't need a complex reason for that. We're guildmates. Helping each other is just what you do."
Albion's eyes widened slightly. 'She's like Sheila', he thought. 'She isn't a bad person.'
"Besides," Juvia added, looking directly at him, "I know you want to help him too. You said it yourself before."
Instantly, Albion's own words echoed in his mind:
<"If I form a bond, I will protect it. That bond has value to me.>"
'You're right', Albion thought, his expression darkening slightly as he looked away. 'But you're also wrong, Juvia. I don't care about the guild. I only care about Gajeel.'
He remembered his brief time inside the guildhall—the way the members cheered when someone got beaten, the way they placed bets on how long he would last, and how they egged Gajeel on to crush him when he was already on the ground.
'Pigs. All of them. They can't stand on their own when it counts. Weak, useless, and incompetent.'
'They're just worthless bags of flesh pretending to be alive. Just like my caretaker. She took everything from me, but she doesn't get to decide who I am anymore. I won't kill her. Death is too easy. I want her to see that the person she tried to shape no longer belongs to her. She's my enemy, and one day, I'll make her answer for what she stole.'
"I'll be retrieving Gajeel," Sheila said, completely unaware of the dark storm inside Albion's head. "I have my own reasons."
"Personal reasons?" Juvia asked, blinking. She knew Sheila was secretive, but even after all this time, Sheila's past remained a total mystery to her.
"Before we move, there's something you both should know," Sheila said smoothly. "I am a doctor, but I am also an S-Class wizard. My strength matches Damian's."
Albion raised an eyebrow in quiet surprise, though Juvia simply nodded—Sheila had already mentioned it back at the hall.
"I'm going back for Gajeel regardless," Sheila continued, fixing her level gaze on the two children. "But I want to know what you think of him. I barely know the boy."
The two stood side by side in silence. Their histories with Gajeel were complicated—it wasn't as simple as liking or disliking him.
After a long pause, Juvia spoke up, her voice steady and clear. "I don't dislike him because he's strong. It's his attitude. He's hot-headed, rude, and aggressive. He reaches for his fists before he even considers speaking." She looked down at her hands. "And he knows about the clan. I know he does. I asked him, and he still refused to tell me. I'm angry with him. But... I don't want him to die. He's an idiot, but he doesn't deserve that."
Albion listened quietly. He remembered her mentioning that clan earlier—and her vow to destroy it no matter what it took. He was curious, but he didn't ask. He had his own secrets; he had no right to pry into hers.
"I don't like him either," Albion said, his voice quiet, direct, and thoughtful. "He's loud and rude. Half the time, it feels like he'd rather fight than communicate. He pushes people away." He met Sheila's eyes. "But I respect him."
Sheila tilted her head slightly, listening.
"He doesn't hesitate," Albion explained. "Even when someone stronger is in front of him, he doesn't back down out of fear. I understand that. I want to become stronger, too. Not because I enjoy fighting—I don't. I just refuse to stay weak. If fighting someone stronger gives me a chance to grow, I'll do it. If I lose, I learn. If I win, I've changed. That's what matters."
He thought back to Gajeel standing over the beaten guild members, isolated despite being surrounded by people.
"For Gajeel, the fight itself seems to be the point. But I don't think he's a bad person. I know what anger feels like. I know what it's like to be lonely, and what happens when you spend too long believing you have no one."
Albion looked at his feet, then backed up. "He reminds me of myself. We both wanted to prove we weren't weak. The difference is that I kept looking for someone to reach out to. That's why I can't hate him."
Juvia smiled softly and placed her hand on Albion's shoulder. He looked at her and offered a subtle, genuine smile in return.
"There's still something good in him," Albion added gently. "Something worth protecting. Being weak doesn't make someone worthless, and being strong doesn't make them good. Every life has value. Gajeel isn't evil. He's just lost."
A soft, rare warmth touched Sheila's face. Despite their claims that they weren't friends, the bond between these two was unmistakable.
Albion, through his own analytical mind, had absorbed Gajeel's raw nature and tempered it with his own desire for connection.
Meanwhile, Juvia had absorbed Albion's quiet composure, maturing just enough to understand what it truly meant to carry the weight of a guildmate.
"The two of you..." Sheila said, her tone softening into genuine pride. "You're fine wizards. You belong in Phantom Lord."